Portland State is ready to battle it out on home turf.
After three straight weeks of fighting the good fight on other teams’ turf, the Viking boys are bringing the battle back to the homeland. Portland State football rivals the Sacramento State Hornets this Saturday at PGE Park.
“It’s good to be home,” said head coach Tim Walsh, “We have been gone for three weeks, and realistically two of the three weeks we played pretty well, and last week we played poorly. Hopefully home will be the right cure.”
With Tim Walsh as their commander, the Viking troops have won eight of the last nine games they have played against Sacramento State. Last season, the Viks beat the Hornets 34-20.
Junior running back Ryan Fuqua was at the forefront of the action when he rushed for 141 yards and scored a 52-yard touchdown against the Hornets. In the last two games Fuqua has played against Sacramento, he has racked up 384 yards for 64 carries and five touchdowns. This season, Fuqua is averaging 171 yards per game and has accumulated 4,482 all purpose yards in his career.
Portland State maintains an awesome record against Sacramento State. To top things off, the Viks have averaged 39.9 points in the past nine games against the Hornets.
Sacramento State currently has a season record of 2-4, while Portland State stands strong against them with 3-3 for the season. Additionally, the Hornets have lost their last two games and have not won a game on the road since October 2002. Most recently against Northern Arizona, the Hornets lost 24-21.
However, Portland State loses its edge over the Hornets when it comes to the Big Sky Conference. Portland State has been shooting blanks at Big Sky play all season long. First the Viks lost to Northern Arizona, and then just last week they lost 42-16 to Eastern Washington. Sacramento State, on the other hand, has already taken out Big Sky competitor Idaho State University 47-21 and is now targeting the Vikings.
The Hornets infantry holds a 1-1 record in the Big Sky this season. After losing quarterback Ryan Leadingham two weeks ago to a broken wrist, Blake Mori has stepped in as the Hornets’ new head man. Mori has made good 50 of his 86 pass attempts, for a total of 612 yards and four touchdowns.
The biggest threat to the Vikings, and the Hornets’ secret weapon, comes from wide receiver Fred Amey. This season alone, Amey has averaged more than 112 yards per game, has had 37 catches for 674 yards, and has made four touchdowns. Sacramento State is not likely to wave the white flag when they’ve got ammunition as deadly as Amey.
If you are looking for a little pre-game action this weekend, all PSU fans are welcome to attend a Portland State football tailgate party. The party is taking place from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and is located on S.W. Morrison, between 20th and 21st avenues. If the Portland State soldiers are prepared for a battle, the Hornets are wagering all-out war. Saturday’s game begins at 6:05 p.m. and promises to be one hell of a fight. It’s time for the Viks to show the home crowd what they’re made of, and win one in the Big Sky.
